Week 12: Bernini and the Popes

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was born in 1598 in Naples and lived through 1680. When he was young he moved with his father, a sculptor, to Rome where he stayed for the rest of his life. He was one of the most important Baroque sculptors of 17th century Rome. Not only was he successful in his sculpture, but he went on to combine that with his success as an architect. He worked with three Popes: Urban VIII Barberini (1623-1644), Innocent X Pamphili (1644-1655), and Alexander VII Chigi (1655-1667). He was knighted at age 23 and he became the Architetto della fabbrica at 31 (1629). He was a master in the era of Counter Reformation Baroque, where the art is meant to communicate religious themes and involve the viewer.

S. Andrea al Quirinale, Bernini

San Andrea is a Jesuit church that was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII. It was started in 1658 and completed in 1662. The space allowed was restricted, a challenge Bernini met with inspiration.

The interior uses an oval plan. As you can see in the floor plan, Bernini carved out four equal chapels on either side of the altar. The facade has a convex entryway flanked by two concave walls creating movement, a typical Baroque convention.

Also featured:

- tripartite composition

- single pedimented bay, versus the usual double tabernacle facade

- monumental Corinthian pilasters reminiscent of St. Peter's

- portico with freestanding Ionic columns

- semi circular entrance repeated in entablature

By diminishing the size of the coffers and narrowing the ribs toward the oculus, Bernini used illusion to suggest a higher dome. The dome has a ring of windows at the bottom to illuminate the interior.

An excellent example of the melding of architecture and sculpture is the High Altar with Antonio Raggi's sculpture of St. Stephen. Again the motif of projecting and recessing is used here. The plastic center pulls forward and projects the figure of St. Stephen breaking through the pediment in his ascent to heaven.

San Pietro gets some work done, 1629

Bernini was appointed Architect of St. Peter's in 1629, following Carlo Maderno. Commissioned by Urban, Bernini would go on to renovate the facade, create the open piazza, and raise the Scala Regia. Maderno has planned to add towers on opposite ends and Bernini attempted to follow through. However, due to the instability of the ground these towers, near completion, began to crack. They were subsequently taken down. During this time Urban died and was replaced by Innocent X, who was not as supportive of Bernini's choices.


Luckily, by 1655 Alexander VII was in place and together they got the construction of the piazza started. Composed of a trapezoidal shape feeding into a large oval, all of which is surrounded by colonnades. The rows of Tuscan columns are topped with a trabeated entablature. This innovative design gave the church an illusion of greater height (countering Maderno's bottom heavy facade but did not overpower it. Bernini had included in his plan a third colonnaded section, adding an element participation. It would have allowed those passing by to see through the columns, treated to different views of the awe inspiring church. This was not added on, however.





Around 1663 Bernini started work on the Scala Regia. As you can see in the plan, there were some discrepancies in the continuity. In order to maintain the illusion of naturalism, Bernini has varied the distance between the columns and the walls and reduced diameter when needed. This use of perspective along with the Palladian motif of a broken entablature arch on columns creates a sculptural effect.